Editor,
I truly enjoy every issue of Current I receive. It’s always informative and entertaining. The Oct. 2 edition’s article regarding breast cancer “prevention” by Tammy Rabe had useful information, but the title of the article was a little misleading. Mammograms do not help “prevent” cancer. Mammograms can only detect a tumor once it’s formed. Unfortunately, due to many factors, the tumor may have gone undetected for years even though yearly mammograms had been performed, and by then it could be a devastating diagnosis. I was diagnosed two years ago with stage two breast cancer, which was never seen in my yearly mammogram. Thankfully, my doctor detected the tumor during my yearly exam and an astute radiologist ordered an ultrasound which did find the tumor. Wanting to prevent this from happening again, I did a great deal of research on the subject of breast cancer prevention. I found another tool in the cancer fight, called breast thermography. Thermography uses infrared images which can detect the subtle changes in the breast years before a cancer has ever formed. Most insurances don’t cover thermography even though it is FDA-approved. One session costs approximately $250, which can be prohibitive for some but still a small price to pay for a tool that when used in conjunction with regular exams and mammograms could be the tool which actually does help prevent breast (and other) cancers. Again, thank you for your excellent newspaper. It’s a gem.
Laura Lambert
46077